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School of Arts & Sciences

NWICS Logo - “The Statue of Freedom,” “Armed Freedom,” “Freedom”NWOSU Institute for Citizenship Studies

A GENEROUS DONATION PROVIDED BY THE MASONIC CHARITY FOUNDATION OF OKLAHOMA CREATED THIS INSTITUTE IN SPRING 2010.

The Institute’s specific tasks include:

  1. to foster an ethos of constructive patriotism, public service, and civic engagement;

  2. to assist the NWOSU Department of Social Sciences with the promotion of its annual departmental related events such as Constitution Day, the Cultural Heritage Lecture Series, the Presidential Lecture Series and other related innovative programs;

  3. to defray the costs associated with guest speakers on campus who present on historical, social, economic and political matters;

  4. to assist in the promotion of University-sponsored conferences concerning United States politics, economics, sociology and history;

  5. to assist with the costs associated with various student-run organizations such as Pi Sigma Alpha, Phi Alpha Theta and the Leviathan Society;

  6. to promote the NWOSU Department of Social Science’s research efforts, including publishing activities and other initiatives designed to further the dissemination of knowledge within its respective departmental disciplines;

  7. to serve as a depository of archival records and materials in digital and print formats; and

  8. to engage in collaborative scholarship and other activities with other academic forums.

One such effort involves the Germans from Russia Heritage Society’s quarterly journal Heritage Review edited by Executive Director Dr. Eric J. Schmaltz within the Institute.

In addition, the Institute’s “Dr. J. Otto Pohl Collection” is named after a fellow member and contains a significant number of Germans from Russia documents and publications of a primary and secondary nature in the English, German and Russian languages in both print and digital formats.

The Institute also maintains the “Mr. George D. Coyan Collection,” a growing body of original historic American newspapers and magazines named in honor of the late World War II veteran and educator. 

NWICS Logo

Explanation of the NWOSU ICS Logo

[NWICS Statue Logo] The symbol used by the Institute has appeared under a variety of names, including “The Statue of Freedom,” “Armed Freedom,” “Freedom,” or as she was originally called, “Freedom Triumphant in War and Peace.” An allegorical figure representing the concept of Liberty, it was selected to stand on the Dome of the United States Capitol because of the inclusive nature of her physical style and esoteric meanings. Her design, for example, incorporates both classical Greco-Roman and American Indian dress as well as the combination of war and peace motifs. As such, she represents both the Old and New Worlds. This figure also incorporates a number of other important features. First, she faces east toward the main entrance of the United States Capitol to symbolize that the sun never sets on Freedom. Second, the base upon which she stands is inscribed with the Latin phrase “E Pluribus Unum.” Third, the statue is imbued with deep symbolic value because of President Abraham Lincoln’s insistence that the figure be placed on the Capitol Dome in 1863 to commemorate the eventual reunification of the Union. Thus, all of these factors together make the statue a fitting symbol for the concept of citizenship. 

Jesse Dunn Hall - Home of NWICS

Poster explaining history of Jesse Dunn Hall

Signature Assignment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBSOsl-P-SE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3r7WYEIiDc0 (Sept. 20, 2010) USA and Costa Rica

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEVk_FiSWtI (Sept. 2009) Debate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfK-Z5wIJkQ (Sept. 2014) Gun rights and the 2nd amendment

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration.html (National Archives Website on Comstitution and Declaration of Independence)

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